Of birmingham



(No Model.)

H HEATGN, Jr. 82; H. D HOPE. TENT.

No. 247,119. Patented 001;; 1,1895.

2 Shee'tS -Sheet 1.

there n TATES UAR-RY 'llFJATON, JR-faOF KINGS NORTON, AND HENRY DONALDHOPE;

- OF BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.

TENT.

SPIECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 547, 119, datedOctober 1, 1895.

Application filed December 20, 1894- Serial No. 532,464. (No model.)

To 0558 whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HARRY HEATON, J12, residing at Lifford Mills, KiugsNorton, in the county of Worcester, and HENRY DONALD HOPE, residing atLionel StreeuBirmingham, England, citizens of Great Britain, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Tents, of which thefollowing is a specification.

Our invention relates to tents, and is especially applicable to militarytents.

Our object is to dispense with the tentpoles at present in use and toprovide a pneumatic or a hydraulic system of support by which it is onlyrequired to pump up the tent with an inflator or a pump for liquids toproduce the necessary rigidity of form.

P- rt of our invention also consists in a method of inflating tentssupported by pneumatic tubes or cells or chambers.

Referring to the two accompanying sheets of drawings, Figure 1 shows, inelevation, a system of flexible tubes arranged as infiatedby air ordisteuded by water to act as tent-poles.

Fig; .3 is an external elevation of a tent so supported. Fig. 3 isa planshowing one arrangement of tubes for supporting the upper part of thetent. "Fig. 4 is a plan showing another arrangement for the samepurpose. Fig. 5 shows one mode ot'connecting the tubes to a tent peg orspike. Fig. 6 shows a plate-fastening to form the attachment to theground.-

" shows a tent framework with crossidirr tubes as Well as upright tubes.Fig. 8 shows,

I in section, a tent with'bands or cells attached to the canvas. Fig. 9shows a single tube tent, and Fig.10 shows a gas-bottle as applie tocharging a tent.

In one method of carrying our invention into effect we construct atubular ring A, Fig. 3, of any suitable metal, rubber, orother-"material to, support the crown or upper part of the tent, and weprovide this tubular ring with projecting tube pi'eces B B B 13 and anordinary pneumatic-tire valve B with a convenient nozzle attachment forinflating or charging. l To the projecting timepieces ii 1; l3 1;, Fig.3, we attach suitable canvascovercd india-- rubber tubes and these tubesWe construct of such length as to take the place ot tent-poles.

and spike F isshown at Fig, 6.

The tubes are looped or attached to the interior of the tentin anyconvenient manner and attached to the tent-pegs driven in the groundjust as poles are attached. Instead of adopting the ring-tube A with theattached tubes B, the cross-tubes B may be connected together at thecenter, as shown in Figs. 1 or 4.

The rubber or other flexible air-tight tubes E may be connected to thetubes B by screwcouplings O, and similar couplings D may be used forconnecting to the spikes F. The spike F and its connection D areshownmore clearly at Fig. 5. A plate G with coupling D The tubes E aresuitably stopped up at their lower ends by plugs or other devices.

On inflating the system by pumping into the tubular ring or otherportion of the sys-' tem the pneumatic tubes become rigid and supply anefiicient support for the tent-cloth. The tubes maybe so formed and solooped or tied to the canvas of the tent as to give any desired outlineof tent. Preferably we attach these tubes to the tent in aneasily-detachable manner, so that upon deflation the tubes'may beremoved and packed up in small bulk for ready transit.

At Fig. 7 we show the pneumatic tubes E connected by cross-tubes I,which, may be coupled togetherbycouplingsl Thesecrosstubes are inflated,together with the other parts of the system, and so provide lateralsupport and rigidity. An entire framework of pneumatic tubes may be soarranged, and in some cases spikes or pegs may be dispensed with.

In the arrangement of tent hereinbefore' described we use four pneumatictubes and one metal tubular ring or corresponding crosstubes, but we mayadopt av greater or less number of tubes, as we desire.

Our invention may be carried into effect according to severalmodifications. For ex: ample, the canvas of the tent may be made withcellular straps ,or bands J, Fig. 8, passing vertically to form verticalribs and horizontally to form horizontal ribs. On inflating .thcso ribsor the system of ribs or cells the tent at once assumes its requiredposition and.

firmly maintains its dimensions as if supported by theordinarytent-poles. More than one tubular ring may be used, or metaltubes may be adopted in other forms than rings, depending on theparticular shape of the tent to be produced.

The tubes may be distended by hydraulic pressure instead ofair-pressure, the same arrangements as hereinbefore described beingadopted. Where hydraulic pressure is adopted we add to the systen anair-vessel, as K, Fig. 8, and supply the vessel with compressed air tokeep up the liquid pressure in the event of slight leakage.

Instead of constructinga tent with multiple tubes, as E, Figs. et and 7,or with cellular strips or bands, as J, Fig. 8, we sometimes provide asingle centrai-pole tent, as shown at Fig. 9. The central pole L is apneumatic tube of considerable diameter, provided with a spike F at thelower end and having ropes M attached at the top and carried to pegs N,as shown. The central pneumatic or bydraulic tube L, with its ropes, isshown at Fig. 9 without the canvas.

Another part of our invention relates to tents, as hereinbeforedescribed, and consists in a method of charging such tubes or cellswithout an inflator or pump. For this purpose we use a metal bottle ofthe kind c0inmonly used to hold compressed gas, andwe charge such bottlewith air or eveirliquid carbonic acid at high pressure. To inflate thetent we apply the bottle to the nozzle of the system and charge it toany desired pressure. Safety or reducing valves may be used to preventbursting. Such a bottle is shown at Fig. 10 connected up to a nozzle andpneumatic tube in the act of inflating the central tube of thesingle-tube tent of Fig. 9.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of oursaidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declarethat what we claim is In combination in a tent frame, the pneumatictubes formed in sections, the spikes or fasteniugs and the couplingsbetween the sections of the tubes and between the tubes and thefasteuings, substantially as described.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of twowitnesses.

HARRY IIEATON, JR. HENRY DONALD HOPE. Witnesses:

ALBERT E. PARKER, II. SmuERINc: Woon.

